The Other Hux
by LERDM
Summary: General Hux has a little sister, she is his life, but what happens when she is sent away to Snoke to train as a sith? When she returns to him, he is no longer the sole power aboard his starship, Kylo Ren is also there, and both are under orders to train and become stronger together. Neither of them are what the other expected, and Hux wishes Ren would stop staring. Kylo Ren x OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Birth and Infancy

* * *

Armitage Hux did not want a sibling, firstly because this soon-to-be child would be born of his father and his mother, instead of a mistress like he had been. His second problem with the matter was that, in his fine opinion, his parents were... bad. Hux couldn't quite find the proper words to describe them, his mother, Catlin was very distant, constantly looking like she was daydreaming of a better life where she hadn't been arranged to marry the deranged man that was his father, Brendol. Brendol was cruel and liked to belittle Armitage whenever possible, Brendol was of the opinion that his son was weak and foolish, and Armitage was of the opinion that his father was insane.

His last qualm with the birth of this small child was that it was a girl, although, upon further inspection of the thought, it was rather that it was not a boy. If he was to have a brother, Armitage could have taught him a whole number of things, such as what he was currently learning in the Officer program at school. However, since that program was for boys only (something Armitage had always thought strange), he couldn't. His sister would most likely be sent to some sort of finishing school to be trained to be a political bride, or worse... a diplomat.

"Armitage, your mother wants to see you." His father's firm voice spoke, pulling Armitage from his thoughts.

He simply nodded in response, not making eye contact, and silently entered his mother's room. The lights were dim, and immediately his eye's were drawn to his mother's pale form sitting up on the bed, she was holding her newly born child close to her chest.

"Armitage." Catlin said weakly.

"Yes mother?" He answered.

"Come look at your sister." She said. Armitage took hesitant steps forwards until he was standing beside his mother's bed. He looked down at the baby bundled to soft cloth and he then looked at his mother. She was watching the child with an expression of disdain, and Armitage felt a lump in his throat begin to form.

"May I... hold her?" He asked softly.

"Yes." His mother replied, a bit too enthusiastically holding the baby up for him to hold.

Armitage took the newborn into his arms and looked down at her face, which was round and had red blotches all over. What caught his attention was her eyes, a very light blue, extremely rare, but they were the same as his. His lips quirked up at the edges in a slight smile as he noticed that she too had light red hair.

"Armitage, would you mind keeping her for a while? I need to rest." His mother spoke quietly.

"Of course." He replied, he walked towards the door, and carefully opened it as not to drop his new sister, but before he left he almost forgt to ask something important, "What's her name?"

"Aria, Aria Hux." His mother replied quietly, the daydreamy look on her face once again, clearly not caring that she had just given a newborn to an eleven year old who had never even held a baby before.

Armitage clenched his jaw at her disregard, nodded firmly and left the room, shutting the door closed behind him, his father was nowhere to be seen outside. He looked down at the baby's face and saw that she looked like she was about to cry, "It's alright Aria, I'll take care of you. I promise."

* * *

Catlin Hux had left. She had left her husband Brendol Hux, her 11 year old son Armitage Hux, and her 3 month old daughter Aria Hux. In the night she disappeared, Brendol Hux was not home, and in fact, not even on the planet Arkanis where they resided. Armitage was alerted to this desertion when he was awoken in the night by the wails of his baby sister.

"Mother!" He called and searched the house, but she was gone. Her jewelry, clothing and the 'secret' blaster she kept in her nightstand were all gone as well. There was no note, nothing to tell her son why she had gone, not that he needed one to know, it was no secret that Brendol had many mistresses and was verbally abusive to both his wife and child.

So Armitage went into the nursery and picked up his sister. She was hungry he concluded as her diaper was not emitting any odor, he took her carefully in his arms and brought her down the circular stairs of the obnoxiously ornate home. He found a bottle of formula and heated it up, he then fed the little beast who quickly drank the entire contents of the bottle.

Armitage was uncertain what to do next, as Aria still seemed unsatisfied, she was making whining noises, and the last thing he wanted was for her to become hysterical again. He picked her up and started bouncing her around like he had seen his mother do a few times before, and it seemed like she was pleased with this action. He smiled to himself as his sister made a cute sort of burping noise, or he _was_ smiling anyways, until he felt a lukewarm liquid run down his back.

He shut his eyes and sighed, this was going to be a long night, but as he heard his sister let out a little giggle, Armitage found he didn't much care.

* * *

Authors Note: Okay, so for everyone who was following this story I am doing a MAJOR re-write. When I first wrote this we didn't even know General Hux's first name, and I think I did a pretty good job at guessing Andrew, but anyways... This story will be very similar to the one before it, however I'm going to try to write the characters in a bit more of a realistic way. Some plot points will be changing from the original as well. Also, I am in the middle of re-writing this, so expect fairly frequent updates for a while. If you're in the mood I have another Star Wars story called Commander Solo about what it would be like if Ben Solo had never turned into Kylo Ren. Please enjoy! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Spoken Language

* * *

Armitage was sitting uncomfortably on the floor of the entertaining room, watching his sister stare at him.

"You ari." She said with confusion, her freckle-covered face scrunched up.

"No, _you_ are Aria, I am Armitage." He said for the tenth time.

"You amigash?" She asked with even more confusion, "No, you bubber, bubber not amigash." She said, bubber meaning brother.

"Ar-mi-tage." He said slowly.

"Am-i-gash." She incorrectly repeated.

Armitage sighed and rubbed his forehead, "How about Hux? Can you say Hux?" He asked.

"Hux!" She said proudly, "Bubber Hux?" She asked.

"Yes, I'm your brother, but my name is-"

"Hux! Bubber name Hux!" Aria cried happily.

Armitage sighed again and decided this was as good as he was going to get, "Yes, very good." He paused, "So what have you learned?"

"You Hux!" She said happily.

"And what about you?" He prodded.

"I Ari!"

"Ar-i-a" He said slowly, trying to get her to pronounce the last A.

"Ari! I Ari!" She cried happily.

Armitage sighed once again, "Okay, good job Ari."

"I have cookie?" She asked, he had promised her a cookie if she could say and remember her name and his name.

"Alright, come on." Armitage said as he rose to his feet. He was 14 and already nearly six feet tall, therefore much taller than his two and a half year old sister who was just about three feet.

"Bubber, uppie!" She called to him, he knew this to mean she wanted him to carry her, and begrudgingly he bent down and let her climb onto his back.

Later that night...

Armitage was asleep when he was awoken by a knock on his bedroom door, he drearily got out of bed and opened it slightly. He saw Aria standing as his door, her Rathtar stuffed animal hanging from her hand.

"Bubber, I had a bad dream." She said and sniffled.

Armitage looked at her and smiled tiredly, "Come here Ari." He said, bending down and picking her up. He walked to his bed and placed her on his side where the sheets were nice and warm from his body heat. He sat down beside her and said, "Go to sleep Ari."

"Bubber tuck me in." She quietly demanded and Armitage smiled, he pulled up the covers to her neck and ruffled her hair, he was about to lay down when she spoke again, "What about Mr. Rathtar?" She asked.

He grabbed her stuffed toy and put it next to her, "There, now Mr. Rathtar will eat any nightmares that try to get into your good dreams."

"Don't be siwy bubber, Mr. Rathtar is a toy." She told him as if he was an idiot, "Bubber Hux will get wid of nightmares." She said quietly before drifting off to sleep.

Armitage watched her with a fascination, no one has ever loved him, so why does this strange child think so much of him? He could not deny that he was awfully fond of the little creature with bright red hair and a million freckles.

* * *

"Hux?!" Aria called from her room. Even though it had been almost two and a half years since she had started calling him that, the nickname had stuck, something Armitage was slightly pleased about, his schoolmates all called him 'A', and his father was the only one who called him Armitage.

"Yes?" Hux asked, walking down the hallway and standing in the doorway of her bright orange room.

"Do we have a mommy?" She asked.

Hux was taken aback by the question and perhaps thought she meant something else, "Excuse me?" He asked.

"All of my friends have a mommy, so where's my mommy?" She asked.

A frown started to take shape on Hux's face, he was 11 the last time he saw his mother, he was now 16 and he could honestly say he hadn't really thought much about her in years.

"I don't know where our mother is." Hux said, crouching down next to Aria, "Why do you want to know?"

"Some of my friends said it was weird." She said, her facial expression went from one of curiosity to one of sadness.

"Who are these friends of yours?" Hux asked, fully intending to accost their parents for allowing such behavior.

Aria shrugged, "Why isn't she here?" She asked.

Hux contemplated what to tell her, he had never anticipated this question ever arising, and what would he tell her? That she was running from their father? That she didn't love them? No, Hux settled on a more general statement, "She went to go be happy I suppose."

"Why wasn't she happy _here_?" Aria asked.

Hux paused before answering, "Because she was alone here."

Aria scrunched her freckle-covered face in confusion, and Hux could tell that she didn't really understand, but after a moment her face relaxed and she said "Okay." And went back to playing with her toys.

Hux was about to leave but then he remembered something and turned around, "Ari? Can I talk to you about something?"

"Okay..." She said, frowning slightly, recognizing the serious tone of her brother's voice.

Hux took a deep breath, "Ari, I need to go away for a while."

Aria's eyebrows furrowed, "What?"

"I'm leaving for school in a week." Hux told her.

"You're leaving?" Aria asked, her eye's turning glassy.

"Only for a little while." Hux said.

"But isn't there a school here on Arkanis you can go to?" She asked, her face becoming sadder and sadder.

"There isn't Ari." Hux said.

"Can I go with you?" She asked, a little bit of hope shone on her face, and that made Hux's next statement very hard.

"I wish you could, but-" Hux had to stop when she started to cry, and despite himself he started to feel moisture prick at his eyes as well. Seeing her upset was one of his only weaknesses.

"I don't want you to go!" She cried and grabbed his arm with her small hands. He pulled her into his chest and hugged her tightly, the shoulder of his shirt becoming wet with tears.

"I'm sorry Ari, I don't want to go either." He said quietly to her.

* * *

The next week was brutal, Aria followed Hux around like a hawk to make sure he wouldn't leave without her, and when the day finally came Aria attached herself to his leg and refused to let go.

Hux would have never admitted this in front of his father, but it broke his heart to see her so upset like this.

"Ari, I have to go now." He said to her, trying to urge her to let go of his leg. In the middle distance his father was watching with an unimpressed look on his face.

"No, I won't let you go without me!" She cried, holding onto him even tighter.

Hux realized that this kind of approach was not going to work, so he tried something else, "Ari, how many freckles do you have?" He asked her.

"I dunno, too many to count." She said.

"Well, did you know that each freckle represents a little bit of how much I love you?" Hux said, and Aria looked up at him and smiled, "And so if there are too many freckles to count then I guess I love you too much to count." Hux said, he wasn't one for sappiness, but he would make an exception for his little sister. "When you miss me just think of your freckles, none of them have ever disappeared and neither will I."

Aria looked at him and sniffled, "You promise?" She asked, letting go of his leg.

"I promise." Hux said, crouching down and hugging her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Visitations and Birthday Parties

* * *

Hux was excited to go home, or rather he was excited to see his sister. He hasn't seen her in almost a year since he left for the officer academy, and he was pleased that the schools break happened to coincide with her sixth birthday. As the shuttle landed he stepped off along with the other boys who were also returning home, he couldn't see his father or sister through the crowds of family that had come of the others, but he heard a voice shout "Hux!" Moments before he was jumped on by Aria.

"Hux! Hux!" She cried happily as put down his bag and lifted her up.

"Ari, I missed you so much." Hux said.

"I missed you too." She said, hugging his neck.

Hux glanced around him slightly and saw that some of the mothers were swooning, he took that as a sign that they should start heading home. He put Aria down and grabbed his bag with one hand and Aria grabbed his other.

They walked back to their father who greeted him with a standard, "Armitage." With a disappointed tone to it.

"Father." Hux greeted back just as impersonally.

As they walked to their personal transport a rigid conversation began between the two men.

"I saw your progress reports, they were... satisfactory, but I expect only excellence from a Hux." Brendol said.

Hux raised an eyebrow, "Merely satisfactory? I am the top of my class in everything, my instructors tell me I am in the 99th percentile."

"Do you know what I ask myself when I see 99%, what happened to the other one percent?" Brendol said coldly.

Hux clenched his jaw and did not respond, instead he turned to his sister and was going to ask her about her schooling when he noticed something about her face. There was a scar on the right side of her forehead, he crouched down and lightly brushed his thumb along the thin white line.

"How'd you get this?" He asked.

Aria was about to answer, but then Brendol spoke, "Your idiot sister fell own the stairs and hit her head on the banister."

"Don't call her that." Hux said immediately.

"And why not? She has no advanced mental facilities, and she can barely function without her precious brother _Hux_ to hold her hand."

"She's a child father." Hux said through gritted teeth.

"She's a Hux, and I expect excellence without exception." He said and ripped Aria's hand from Armitage's, he dragged her to the transport and practically threw her inside.

Hux's blood was boiling, and he briefly wondered if the rage he was feeling was in part due to the hormonal imbalance that his 17 year old self was currently going through, or if it really all boiled down to his father's hatred for his children.

* * *

The next week was Aria's birthday party, and Hux was confused to find that she was not excited for it.

"Aren't you excited to see your friends?" He asked her one night over dinner.

Aria shrugged, "I don't really have a lot of friends."

This was a paradox to Hux, Aria was the happiest, kindest child he had ever met, but yet she had no friends? It just didn't add up.

"Why not?" Hux asked gently.

Aria looked down at her feet, "Well, sometimes the other girls can be mean."

"They're mean to you?" Hux asked, trying to mask his anger, not wanting Aria to think he was upset with her.

Aria nodded, "They say I'm weird." But then her face brightened, "But I think I'm pretty great!" She declared, smiling, showing Hux her missing teeth.

"Yeah, you are pretty great." He affirmed, grinning slightly, "So, when did you lose all those teeth?" He asked.

Aria started gabbing to him about the circumstance under which each tooth was lost and ho soaked up every word, just happy that he was here with her.

That evening the guests started to arrive, and Hux was disappointed yet not surprised that his father had taken this opportunity to invite prominent members of the rapidly growing group called the First Order. It was in fact for a position in the First Order that he was currently training for in officer school. However he did not appreciate the blatant grab for influence, and he was sure the others felt the same.

At the dining table that evening there was one girl Aria's age, and two boys Hux's age, the rest were older men who were discussing the new trade deals coming out of Coruscant.

"So, Armitage, I've heard that you are the top of your class at the academy, very impressive. You must be proud Brendol." One of the men said.

"Yes, very proud, but there's always room for improvement." Brendol replied, sending a pointed look to Hux, who clenched his fist under the table.

The dinner went on in relative peace, and eventually everyone left. Aria went up to bed and Hux worked on one of his papers on clone conditioning and how it ultimately failed the empire.

Hux was working diligently when his father walked into the room, his breath smelling heavily of scotch, "How _dare_ you embarrass me like that again!"

Hux stood from his desk and said, "I don-" He was cut off by his father slapping him. Hux was shocked, his head was spinning, he didn't even realize that Brendol was shouting at him, his ears stopped ringing when his father left the room.

He stumbled up the stairs into his room, he curled up in a ball against his bed frame and he couldn't help himself from crying. His father had done a many number of things to him in the past, including ridiculing him, shouting for no reason, and etcetera, but Brendol had never _ever_ touched him before.

Hux buried his head in his knees still in disbelief at what had just happened. He didn't notice a small silent form enter his room until she was standing right beside him.

"Hux, are you okay?" She asked quietly.

Hux quickly wiped away his tears and said, "I-I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"I heard you crying, and you never cry so I thought something was wrong." Aria said, and Hux was slightly confused, their rooms were on nearly opposite ends of the large house, and he had been making sure he was quiet, lest Brendol become angry again, but he shrugged it off, not paying much mind to it.

"It's alright Ari, go back to sleep." Hux said.

Aria looked at him curiously and didn't leave, but instead hugged him tightly. They stayed like that for so long that both of them fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Moving On And Moving Up

* * *

Hux had just graduated first in his class at the officer academy, and he had just been offered a prestigious position on the star ship _Absolution._ He had a plan that had been in the works for a while, but today was the day he was going to put it into action.

He knocked on the door of the Hux home, and it was quickly answered by Aria, who exclaimed, "Hux! You're home!" She then threw her arms around his torso.

Hux was taken aback by Aria's height, she was significantly taller now than the last time he had seen her. "Look how tall you are!" He said, returning his sisters embrace.

"Well not as tall as you!" She said, looking up at him. He was quite tall, at 6'2 he was 4 inches taller than his father, and about two feet taller than his seven year old sister.

Hux laughed with her and ruffled her hair, "Is father home?"

"Yeah, he's in his study." Aria said.

"Alright, I'm going to go talk to him for a minute, and then I want to hear all about what I missed while I was gone." He said.

"Okay Hux." She replied cheerfully before hoping off, presumably back to whatever she was doing before.

Hux walked to his fathers study and knocked on the door, he heard footsteps and then his father said, "Girl! Didn't I tell you to-" He opened the door and stopped his angry rant when he saw it was Hux.

"Ah! Armitage, I was not expecting you until tomorrow." Brendol said, he was clearly irked by his sons sudden appearance.

"Father, I will not waste your time with formalities, I am here to ask for something." Hux said quickly.

"And what might that be?" Brendol asked with his usual condescending tone.

"I have been offered an officer position aboard the star ship Absolution and I would like to request that Aria come with me as my ward." Hux said presciently.

Brendol did not immediately react to this information, but instead contemplated it before saying, "Granted. When do you leave?"

Hux was slightly confused as he was not expecting his father to allow it, but he was happy. "In two days."

"Good." Brendol said, "Prepare your sister to leave, I am leaving planet for a meeting tomorrow." He said as he left the office.

Hux was pleased, he was getting custody of his sister like he had wanted, but he was slightly irked at how easy it was. It was almost as if Brendol was itching to get rid of them, which wouldn't be at all surprising to Hux, as it was clear the man held nothing but contempt for his children.

Hux went upstairs to Aria's room where he thought he saw her run off to earlier, he saw he was correct as he stood in the door frame and saw her reading.

"Ari?" He said, getting her attention.

"Hux!" She said excitedly and hopped off her bed.

"Ari, I have some news." He said.

Aria's face fell, "You're not leaving again are you?" She asked him.

"I am." Hux said, and her face fell, "But this time you're coming with me."

Aria smiled wider than he had ever seen, "Really?!"

Hux nodded, her smile was infectious.

* * *

Hux and Aria moved onto the battle-cruiser Absolution, and they lived there happily for five years...

"Hux, come on, take a break for once!" Aria called to her brother, who was looking over the bridge reports for the day.

"Aria, I'm busy." Hux responded.

"Okay... so I guess I'll just go to Coruscant alone..." Aria said, and Hux perked up at this.

"Absolutely not." He responded immeiately.

"Then come with me!" She said, and his face remained unconvinced, "Come on, don't you have tomorrow off anyways?"

Hux did have the next day off, but he was going to use it to catch up on reports, but he was being swayed by his persuasive sister, so eventually he relented. "Fine, we'll go, but not for too long alright?"

Hux was wary of traveling to the nearby planet, mostly because the First Order was starting to gain attention as it grew, an he was uncertain whether or not he would be recognized on the bustling planet.

"Yes!" Aria cried happily.

So that was how Hux found himself being dragged behind Aria, who was going on about the historical significance of nearly every street. Hux would have paid attention, on any other day he would have, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something felt wrong.

Aria, who was in front of him suddenly stopped walking and frowned, "Ari, what's-" Hux was cut off when suddenly something exploded beside them.

Hux instinctively dove for Aria, but she was looking somewhere specific, and as Hux turned to see what she was looking at, he saw that she had spotted the shooter on top of one of the buildings. The masked man had his blaster pointed right at them, and Hux's eyes widened as he pulled the trigger, he shut his eyes and braced himself, but nothing ever came.

After a few moments he opened his eyes and saw that Aria was standing beside him, her whole body was shaking, and she arm was reaching out, towards the man, and in it's path, a blaster bolt was stopped midair.

Hux looked around at the shocked crowd, and he gently touched his sisters shoulder, "Ari, we need to go right now."

Aria nodded numbly, and once they were out of the path of the blaster bolt, she let it go. Hux took her hand and they ran back to the shuttle, back to the safety of the Absolution, although now Hux was afraid. Afraid that a power darker than himself would come for her, that _Snoke_ would come for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Separation Anxiety

* * *

When Hux and Aria returned to the Absolution, Hux took her straight to their shared quarters, ignoring everyone along the way.

Aria sat down in one of the chairs at the dining table, and Hux paced in front of her for a while before he turned to her, "How... how did you do that?"

Aria looked at him and he could tell that she was terrified, "I-I don't know." She said, stuttering, something she never did, "Hux I'm scared."

"I know, Ari, it's alright." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "It'll be okay."

"You've always been a bad liar." She said, half a smile on her face, but it quickly faded, she looked down at her shaking hands and then back to Hux, "What's happening to me?" She asked him, on the brink of tears.

"What's going on?" Hux asked, clearly seeing that something wasn't right, besides the fact of their recent discovery.

"I feel... everything." She said, "It hurts." Tears slipped out of her eyes and he could tell she was in pain.

"What should I do, what do you want me to do?" Hux asked desperately, kneeling in front of his sister.

Aria shook her head, she didn't know, and neither did Hux. But in that moment as he looked at his sister he made a decision.

"Aria, I'll be right back, I'll be right back." Hux said before quickly exiting the room and heading towards the bridge.

"Ah, Lieutenant-General Hux, I thought you had the day off." General Cardinal said to Hux as he marched onto the bridge.

"I do General, however I have something that urgently needs your attention." Hux said.

Hux lead Cardinal to a more private setting where he then explained what had happened.

"And so I need an immediate audience with Supreme Leader Snoke." Hux finished.

Cardinal nodded, "Alright, go get your sister, I'll arrange the holo-deck."

Hux nodded and went to grab Aria. When he entered into the living area he was surprised to see that the room was a wreck, but Aria was still sitting, curled into a ball, right where he had left her.

"Aria, come with me, there's someone who can help you." _I hope_.

When Aria and Hux met with General Cardinal he had a grim look on his face.

"Supreme Leader Snoke is very pleased with this development, he would like to speak with Aria alone." He spoke quietly.

Aria looked up at Hux, she was afraid, "It's alright Aria, go ahead, I'll wait here." Hux told her. He wanted to say something more, but he didn't want to appear weak in front of his superior.

Aria nodded and swallowed before entering the dark chamber. Alone.

* * *

Aria stood in front of a hologram about seventy feet tall, it made her feel small, and afraid.

"Child, what is your name?" Snoke asked her.

She looked at him and said, "Aria Hux." Trying to force her voice not to waver.

"Aria, you are powerful, very strong with the force. With the right training you could become greater than that." Snoke said.

"How can I be strong with the force, I've never used it before." Aria said.

Snoke laughed menacingly, "Oh yes you have, I have felt it." He paused, "You will come to me and I will train you as my apprentice, and when I am done the entire galaxy will fear you."

Aria was conflicted, she knew she could not refuse. Hux had hammered into her the stories and legends of Snoke, and he had made it clear that his words were greater than truth. If Hux followed and trusted this being so much, then Aria would as well.

"Go and prepare yourself, I will send my shuttle for you." He said before the hologram cut out and she was left alone in the dark.

Aria took a deep shaky breath and walked out of the chamber, she opened the door and saw her brother, who was pacing in front of the door. He quickly turned to her, "What happened?"

Aria could barely look at him, "He's sending a shuttle." Was all she said before she started walking back to their room at a quick pace. She could hear Hux following behind her, when they entered the room she turned around and faced him, her fear clearly written on her face, "I don't want to leave you."

Aria saw the internal struggle within Hux, on one hand was his allegiance to the First Order, something he believed in, and on the other hand was his sister, something that he loved.

Hux looked away from her and said, "I'm sorry Ari, I didn't know what to do." He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.

* * *

The next morning the shuttle came, Aria and Hux had said their goodbyes in private, so there was nothing left to say as Aria gave him one last glance before turning and walking onto the black shuttle. Without wasting time it immediately took off, leaving the Absolution, and Hux, behind them. Aria looked around, the shuttle was completely unmanned, and Aria was alone.

There was a uniform of sorts hanging from a rack, it was clearly made for her, no officer who be small enough to fit into it. She put it on, it was all black, tight, but it had a cape-like feature on the back.

There was something else there too, a helmet. Aria picked it up, it was very light despite being made out of some sort of metal. Aria pulled her long orange hair up and slid on the helmet, it made her feel strange. Like she was invincible.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Time

* * *

Aria was kneeling in front of Snoke. She was on the Supremacy, his personal star cruiser, although, that might be the wrong word for the massive ship. It was the largest ship in recorded history, how they built it without anyone noticing was beyond her.

The Praetorian Guard were kneeing behind her, part of her training had been to defeat the pre-existing guard and then train a new one, she was their leader, much like Kylo Ren was the leader of the Knights of Ren.

"Child, your training is complete." Snoke started, it had been seven years since Aria was taken from the Absolution, since she had seen or heard from her brother. "I have a gift for you." He spoke. A panel opened in the floor and a pedestal rose from the hole. On it was a light-saber, "This was mine when I was young, and now I give it to you, Master Praetoria." He said, Praetoria was her 'dark' name, one that she achieved when becoming the leader of the Praetorian Guard.

Aria looked at him with shock, he called her _master_. Aria picked up the light-saber, it was much lighter than the one she currently had, and when she ignited the blade she realized just how special it really was. It was a dark-saber, so rare that there was only one other known to exist.

"Thank you Master." Aria said with a bow, attaching the saber next to her other one.

"Go now, and meet my new apprentice on the Finalizer." Snoke said, "Also, there is something you should know." Aria waited for him to speak, "Your brother has become extremely influential, he is the current General of the Finalizer and is in charge of project Starkiller."

Aria smiled slightly, she was sure he was very happy with his position, he always wanted to be a general. Aria nodded before turning and walking out of the room towards the shuttle that was waiting.

Over the years her uniform had changed, it went from all black to all red, to what it was now. A red cape now rested on her shoulders with a black body suit. Her helmet was half red and half black, split horizontally at the slits for her eyes. She looked intimidating, which was the point.

* * *

When the shuttle finally reached the Finalizer Aria was a little nervous. She wasn't the same person who left the Absolution, and she was afraid that Hux had become like their father in her absence. She knew that the thought was ridiculous, but she hadn't seen him in seven years. The last time he saw her she was twelve and he was 23, Aria hoped the passing of time wouldn't have an effect on their relationship.

Aria was also anxious to meet Snoke's new apprentice, Kylo Ren. He hadn't told her much about him, only that he was trained by a Jedi and that he defected to their side.

The shuttle landed and she took a breath and stood at the door, her face still covered by the helmet. She saw two figures standing there, one she immediately recognized as her brother, and the other was clearly Kylo Ren.

She walked off the ship, hands held behind her back, she stopped when she was a few meters away from them and she froze. She didn't know what to do or say, Hux frowned slightly, and then she felt a slight push in her mind. Knowing it was Kylo Ren she forcefully pushed him out, pleased when she saw him stumble slightly in the real world.

"If you'd like to remain breathing on this ship I suggest you stay out of my head." Aria said, her voice distorted by the helmet. She glanced back at Hux before walking out of the hangar.

* * *

Hux was not sure what had just happened, his sister, his _baby_ sister was coming back to him. Then she stepped out of the shuttle and realized she was no longer a child. More than that she was wearing a mask, like Ren's, hiding her face from him. He found himself unable to speak to her, little did he know she was feeling the same.

When she walked away from them Hux couldn't move, and Kylo Ren turned his head to look at him before walking away. Hux stood there for a few moments more before he decided to follow his sister.

It wasn't long before Hux found her, she was standing on the observation deck overlooking the vast emptiness of space. She turned to face him as he approached, her mask was still on so Hux could not tell if she was pleased to see him or not.

To his surprise he saw her reach up and take it off, he braced himself, prepared to see a large scar or an unfamiliar face, but as she removed the mask he saw that it was same freckle-faced girl that he knew.

She was smiling at him and she quickly moved over to him and hugged him. It took Hux's brain a moment to register it, but he hugged her back.

She pulled back after a few moments, "You're a lot shorter than I remembered." She said.

Hux shook his head humorously, "You're a lot taller than I remember."

"It's good to see you _General_."

"And you _Master Praetoria_." They both laughed, Hux couldn't remember the last time he laughed, neither could Aria truth be told. "It's good to have you back.

"Good to _be_ back." Aria responded with a smile, and Hux was confused as to why he was so worried in the first place.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Clashes and Slashes

* * *

The day after Aria arrived on the Finalizer she woke up from a nightmare early in the morning. She decided that she wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep, and so she went to the observation deck, her favorite place on the ship so far. She liked looking out into space, she felt it put everything in perspective.

When she got there she saw that someone else was standing there, it was Kylo Ren, he looked younger than she had expected. He did seem several years older than herself, but she had been expecting a man in his mid-thirties, not late twenties.

He turned and relaized who it was, he quickly bowed and said, "Master Praetoria."

Aria snorted and couldn't help a smile from forming on her face, "Please don't call me that." She said with amusement, and Kylo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Call me Aria."

"Kylo." He said, sticking out his hand.

Aria smiled at the oddness of the gesture, but she shook his hand anyways.

They stood there in silence before Kylo asked her, "Do you fly?"

Aria shook her head, "Never, I've always wanted to." She paused, "Do you?"

"Yes, my f-" He suddenly stopped, before saying again, "I was taught at an early age."

Aria thought for a moment before saying, "If you don't mind, can I see your light-saber?" Kylo gave her a strange look and she explained, "I've heard that it's quite something."

Kylo nodded and pulled it from his belt, he ignited it and she took a step back as it sparked, but she leaned forward in fascination.

"Is the crystal broken?" She asked.

"It's cracked, that's why I needed the lateral vents."

"That probably comes in handy often."

"I does."

"What form do you use?"

"Strong five. You?"

"Medium seven."

"Really? Impressive."

"Thank you." Aria said, Kylo put away his light-saber, an Aria turned to face him, "Want to go spar?"

"Yeah sure."

* * *

Hux was awoken from his sleep by the beeping of his comm.

"What is it?" He answered shortly.

"My apologies General, but, uh, you see, there's a bit of a problem." A young officer replied from the other end.

"And what would that be lieutenant?" Hux asked, annoyed.

"Well, it appears that Lord Ren and Master Praetoria are dueling in the halls."

"What?!"

* * *

A few minutes earlier...

Kylo ignited his saber, and Aria pulled her regular one, she hadn't yet become familiar with the one Snoke had given her. Her light-saber was dual-bladed and purple, something that had irked Snoke at first, but after he had considered it he allowed her to keep it.

When Kylo Ren saw her light-saber he was shocked, it was designed very similarly to Darth Mauls, but the two joint sabers each had curved hilts, so the entire blade was not in a straight line. What surprised him the most was the colour, only one person was ever known to have a purple light-saber, Mace Windu, a Jedi. The purple colour revealed that she might not only use the dark side, but may dabble in the light as well.

Aria spun her saber-staff quickly once or twice before making a move, Ren barely dodged it in time. He quickly raised his light-saber and swung with great force at her. She quickly dodged and parried, which he caught on his cross guard and pushed her back, but she held her ground and Force-pushed _him_ backwards.

They both smirked a little, Aria separated her light-sabers and held them in a reverse grip, which made Kylo raise an eyebrow.

"You are just a big surprise aren't you?"

"I try." Aria said before leaping at him.

The pair continued, making their way through the interior of the ship, trading quips along the way, until finally there was a victor.

Aria had her shin across Kylo's chest, one of her light-sabers next to his neck.

"Ahem! Now that the two of you are finished wrecking my star-ship, I would like to formally ask that you use the training room made specifically for this purpose." Hux suddenly said from behind them.

Aria quickly turned her head to see him, and Kylo took this opportunity to flip over so he was pinning _her_.

"Nice try, but..." Aria trailed off and pressed her unignited light-saber against his ribs, clearly showing that he would be dead.

Kylo grinned slightly an stood, offering her a hand up. Hux watched the scene with displeasure, as he wasn't certain if it was due to his brotherly instincts, or just the simple fact that they seemed to be... flirting.

"As I was saying..."

"Yes, I'm sorry, we will use _the training room made specifically for this purpose_." Aria imitated and Kylo snorted, but after receiving a cold glare from Hux he regained his composure.

Hux sighed, starting to get a headache even thinking about all the paperwork that would be coming his way soon.

"Oh relax Hux, it's not so ba-" Aria was cut off by the loud clang of a metal ceiling plate falling behind them. She looked around innocently, "So... where do you get food in this place?"


	8. Chapter 8

"What do you think of my new apprentice Master Praetoria?" Snoke asked Aria.

"Well... he's undisciplined, and rash... his anger is out of control," Aria paused, "But... he's strong, very strong."

"As I suspected. I would like you to help train him," Snoke told her.

"Yes, Master." She said and bowed her head slightly.

"Send in General Hux and Kylo Ren, I wish to speak to them," Snoke added as she left.

She exited the large chamber and saw that her brother and Kylo Ren were standing outside, she smiled as she saw them, "Snoke wants to speak to you both."

They entered both looking much more solemn than they needed to.

Aria went to the training room and did some force-exercises for a while. She decided she would take a rest, but that was when Kylo Ren stalked into the room.

"Something on your mind Ren?" Aria asked.

"What did you tell Snoke about me?" He asked angrily.

"Nothing he didn't already know," Aria told him cryptically.

"And what would that be?" He demanded.

"That you're brazen and undisciplined. That your anger gets the best of you _constantly,"_ Aria told him.

His face became even angrier than it had before, "Do not mock me."

Aria couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her lips, and it drove Ren over the edge. He ignited his lightsaber and ran at her. She didn't move fast enough to get in the right position, so as she blocked his sabre, her own flew out of her hand. She immediately reached into her belt and ignited the one that Snoke had given her.

Ren was too angry to be surprised at the rare sabre and kept at her, but to his frustration, she kept eluding him. And laughing. Nothing he did would spoil her mood, she seemed untouchable, and that made him angry.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning did we?" Aria asked teasingly. Kylo simply shouted in rage and attacked harder, leaving his side exposed. Aria hit him with the hilt of her sabre. "What is it that has you so worked up?" She asked, "Was your precious Master Snoke disappointed in you?" He growled and attacked again, with roughly the same outcome.

This went on for some time until they were both exhausted, Ren eventually put away his sabre and looked at Aria with confusion.

"I don't understand," He said.

"You don't understand what?" Aria asked.

"How are you so strong? You aren't..."

"Dark, brooding, angry?" Aria finished.

"Yes," Kylo said.

Aria smiled, "They only call it the _dark side_ to sound ominous Kylo."

"And what does that mean exactly?" He asked.

"Just think about it, the sith saying is 'Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken, the force shall free me.' Where in that does it say that you need to be angry all the time, where does it say you can't be happy?" Aria asked him. "Passion means a strong emotion, mine is happiness, love. You _chose_ yours to be anger and pain, but you didn't need to." Aria said.

"Anger is stronger than happiness," Kylo spoke with conviction.

"Really? I've always found it's easier to be angry, because so many things go wrong. It's harder to be happy, I think that's what makes me stronger." Aria smiled at his surprise face "The line between Jedi and Sith is so much more blurred than you think."

Aria turned away when he didn't respond, and she was about to leave when he finally spoke, "How do you do it?"

She turned around and smiled at him, "Start by getting a sense of humour, then we'll talk."

* * *

Hux had just conquered an outer-rim system, and the First Order was hosting a celebration gala on the Finalizer.

"You haven't attended one of these in a long time, do you still-"

"Remember all the steps to that one stupid dance they do all night?" Aria interrupted her brother.

Hux sighed, "You know, it really is important..."

"I know brother," Aria said.

Kylo Ren then came on the bridge of the ship. Aria smiled at him, which surprised both Kylo Ren and Hux.

"What about you Ren, bringing anyone to the celebration?" Hux asked.

Ren was silent for a moment before answering, "Yes, I am."

Aria stared at him with a funny smile on her face, and Hux was staring at him with shock.

"Well good for you," Aria said. Barely containing her laughter at her brothers face. "Want to go train?" She asked him.

Ren nodded and they walked off towards the training room.

They started sparring when Aria asked, "So... who _are_ you taking to the gala?"

Kylo didn't respond right away, he was focused on their battle. "I was hoping..." He stopped as he dodged her kick. "That _you_ would accompany me."

This took Aria by surprise, and he managed to knock her to the ground. He was laying on top of her, "Were you ever going to tell _me_ that?"

"So that's a yes?"

"Of course, you're my only friend on this starship." At this Kylo rolled off of her.

"Good, well, I'll see you tonight then."

Aria smiled and nodded. She was about to leave when she added, "Don't tell my brother about this."

"I wouldn't dare."

Aria smiled at him and left, leaving him with mixed emotions.


End file.
